Light at the End of the Tunnel
by ADHDKunoichi
Summary: i promised to publish this fic, so here it is! Shino/OC. Oc's background explained in prologue. Shino helps her to be at peace and to stop lingering in the past, resulting in her realizing that she wants him in her future. rated T to be safe. DISCONTINUED! READ AUTHOR'S NOTE!
1. Prologue

**Alex/Aimi**: woohoo, here it is! I finally got around to publishing this! :D hey, Neji, ya wanna read the legal disclaimer so I don't get sued?  
><strong>Neji<strong>: Fine. Alex(or Aimi, as I was just told she prefers to be called)does not own any of the Naruto characters, myself included. She doesn't even own Mitsuko.  
><strong>AlexAimi**: _Excuse me_? :( _She's my OC!_ I do so own the rights to Mitsuko! But that's all! Gosh! Anyways, read and review, please. Any and all flames will be laughed at, before being used to make s'mores.

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><p><strong>Prologue: Great Power at an Even Greater Price<strong>

There once was an old legend, known by most everyone from Suna to Kiri. No one knew where it originated from, or how it even started, but it soon spread like wildfire. It was the legend of a child who would help to save everyone, in their darkest hour. It was the Legend of the Angel of Hope, the Kitai no Tenshi. And it was that, after hundreds of years, the legend became a reality. For on August 19, 1993, the youngest granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage was born.

She was the fourth child of Youko and Masaru Senshi. Her mother was the only daughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage. Her father was a jonin-level shinobi from Konohagakure who had moved to Iwa to be with her mother. She had two elder brothers and an elder sister: Isamu, who was seven, Genkei, who was two, and Amarante, who was also two. She was born on a quiet, tranquil day in August. She was an exact carbon copy of her mother. She had golden blonde hair, and big hazel eyes. She was pale. Not sickly pale, but almost a _glowing_ pale. She was of average size and weight, and perfectly healthy. But her life came with a price.  
>Her mother had been poisoned in an attempt to kill the child. However, a strange white chakra surrounded the child, shielding her from the poison. Her mother, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The poison, along with the effects of childbirth, proved too much for her body to handle. With her last breath, she gave her daughter a name.<br>"Her name is Mitsuko." Youko said, smiling weakly at the infant she held in her arms, "For she is truly a child of the light."  
>With these words spoken, she died. So it was that on that day, the Tsuchikage lost his only daughter, and he gained another grandchild. For days, Iwagakure was torn between sadness and joy. Sadness for the loss of the Tsuchikage's only daughter, his pride and joy, and joy for the birth of his youngest grandchild.<p>

There was never any doubt within Mitsuko's family about who she really was. They all just knew that she was the Kitai no Tenshi, the child of legend. However, this secret was well kept, with only rumors of the Angel being born in Iwa being spread. No one ever paid them any mind, they just dismissed the rumors as just that, mindless gossip.

Mitsuko had a happy childhood, even without a mother. She had many friends, and was well liked by everyone in the village. Being the grandchild of the Tsuchikage, she always got whatever her heart desired, though that wasn't much. Unlike most kids, she didn't waste her time with impractical things such as toys and pointless games. When she was younger, she preferred to be read to and to watch the clouds. When she was a little older, she preferred to read by herself, practice medical ninjutsu, train with her siblings, and play shogi.  
>When she was twelve, her father decided that she was old enough to decide whether or not she wished to stay in Iwa, as was customary after graduating from the ninja academy in Iwa. After a few days of researching each of the different villages and comparing them to Iwa, she told her father she had made her choice. She asked to move to his old village, Konohagakure. So she left early one morning for Konoha. And that is where this story begins...<p> 


	2. Chapter 1: The Foreign Teammate

**Alex/Aimi**: okay, that last legal disclaimer didn't work out so well, so let's try it again. Hey, Shino!  
><strong>Shino<strong>: What?  
><strong>AlexAimi**: Do the legal disclaimer for me. _Plea-ea-ease?  
><em>**Shino: **Why?  
><strong>AlexAimi**: So I don't get sued! And because you're an important character in this! That's why it's a Shino/OC story!  
><strong>Shino<strong>: Fine. Aimi doesn't own any of the Naruto characters, including myself. We all belong to Masashi Kishimoto, with the exception of Mitsuko, who actually _does_ belong to Aimi.  
><strong>AlexAimi**: Thank you, Shino. Now, read & review, please! Flames will be used to burn away all of the flamer's/flamers' hopes and dreams. Now, please continue reading.

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><p><strong>Chapter ONE: The Foriegn Teammate<strong>

Iruka Umino stood in front of his former class of graduating academy students, amazed at how far they had come in the last few years. He cleared his throat, both to get the class's attention and to get rid of the lump in his throat, and began to read off of the list of genin teams.

"Team 10 will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. The jonin responsible for this team is Asuma Sarutobi." he said, much to Ino's despair, "Team 8 will consist of Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga, with the jonin instructor being Kurenai Yuhi."  
><em>I won't be on the same team as Naruto-kun!<em> Hinata realized.  
>"Team 7, whose jonin instructor will be Kakashi Hatake, will consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno," Naruto began cheering at this, while Sakura nearly cried, "Sasuke Uchiha,"(the opposite happened for this), "And Mitsuko Senshi."<p>

"Who?" Naruto and Sasuke said, nearly in unison.  
>"Excuse me, Iruka-sensei," Sakura said, raising her hand.<br>"Yes, what is it?"  
>"Correct me if I'm wrong, sensei, but there isn't a Mitsuko Senshi in this class. How can she be on our team if she's not in our class?" Sakura pointed out.<br>"The answer to your question isn't very simple, Sakura." Iruka said, "You see, she's only been a citizen of Konohagakure for a few days now. But she passed the graduation exam in Iwagakure, the village she came here from. The exam is much harder over in Iwa, not to mention the fact that she was the number one student at the academy. This was reason enough to promote her to genin in Konoha almost immediately."  
>The next day, the three of them were waiting at the ninja academy at eight a.m., just as Kakashi had told them. They waited for an hour, and he still hadn't shown up. Neither had their other teammate, for that matter.<br>"Maybe she chickened out." Sasuke said.  
>"Maybe she's sick." Sakura said.<br>"Maybe she just didn't care!" Naruto said, annoyed.

"Sorry I'm late." a voice said as the door was opened, "I'm still not sure where everything is in this village yet."  
>The door shut with a click, and a girl about their age walked over to a desk and sat down. She had shoulder length blonde hair, and big hazel eyes. She was pale and thin, yet she had a strong look to her. She wore a white t-shirt with a tan jacket over it and tan capris with blue sandals. She had her leaf hiate ate tied loosely around her neck like a choker.<br>"You must be Mitsuko." Sakura said, walking up to her, "I'm-"  
>"Sakura Haruno, I know." Mitsuko said, "Just like I know that the blonde over there is Naruto Uzumaki and the raven haired boy is Sasuke Uchiha. I know who all three of you are, there's no need for introductions. Besides, I'm pretty sure that our sensei will have us introduce ourselves anyways."<br>About an hour later, Kakashi arrived, only to have an eraser hit him in the head and his team to laugh at him. Afterwards, just as Mitsuko had predicted, they were sitting on the stairs at the top of a building in the center of Konoha introducing themselves.

"Basically, you tell us your name, things you like, things you hate, your hobbies, and your dreams for the future." Kakashi explained, "Mitsuko, since you're new to this village, why don't you go first?"  
>"Okay, sensei." Mitsuko nodded, "My name is Mitsuko Senshi. I like learning my family's secret jutsus, playing shogi, and training with my older brothers. I hate posers, fakes, wannabes, jerks, and anyone who enjoys belittling someone. My hobby is researching the history of different lands and villages. And my dream for the future is..."<br>There was a pause as she pondered what her dream for the future should be. Then, her eyes lit up and she continued.  
>"My dream is to be the next Tsuchikage, someone that everyone in Iwa looks up to and respects! And nothing's going to stop me from achieving that, not even death! Because I won'tdie, not until my whole village sees me for who I am, not for my family." she said, with an excited sparkle in her eye and a determined look on her face.<p>

She immediately blushed and instinctively put her right hand behind her head.  
>"Hehe, sorry." she said, "I tend to get a little carried away sometimes."<br>"Okay, Naruto, your turn." Kakashi said.  
>"Okay!" Naruto said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like pulling pranks, and I <em>really<em> like the ramen at Ichiraku, especially when Iruka-sensei treats! But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water into the cup of instant ramen. My hobbies include eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them! My dream is...to become the greatest Hokage ever! That way the whole village will stop treating like I'm nothing and treat me like I'm _somebody_! Somebody important!"

This went on for about another fifteen minutes or so, with Sakura barely saying anything and just glancing at Sasuke and blushing, and Sasuke hardly saying or doing anything at all. _Some team._ Mitsuko thought, _They just introduced themselves and I hardly even know them!_  
><em><span>Now, Mitsuko,<span>_ another voice said, _Don't be so pessimisstic! This will all work out.  
><em>_If you say so, kaa-san._ she replied, _If you say so, I'll believe it._


	3. Ch 2: Meeting the Other Rookies, Part 1

**Alex: hey, guys, what's up? I have great news! This story is not longer on hiatus! Yay! :D Sorry it took so long, it's just that I haven't had any time to update. Between school, soccer, and other extracurricular(is that how you spell it?) activities, my schedule's been jammed! But the good news about that is I'm on fall break, so I've got a little extra time to write and update this story. As always, I do not own Naruto. I only own the rights to my OC. Please enjoy the chapter! R&R!**

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><p>"Naruto-kun," Mitsuko said as he dragged her by the arm, "Where are we going?"<br>"You said you've never had ramen before, right?" he asked.  
>"Yeah," she said, "So what?"<br>"_So_," he said, "I'm taking you to Ichiraku! They've got the best ramen _ever_!"  
>"Okay, that makes sense," she conceded, "But why are you dragging me by my arm? I can walk just fine on my own!"<br>"Oh." Naruto said, stopping and letting go of her arm, "Sorry."  
>Mitsuko sighed. She'd only been in this village for two weeks, and Naruto had insisted on dragging her around the village in between missions, to show her around. She'd already seen the Ninja Academy, the Hero's Memorial, the Hokage Mansion, the arena that the chunin exams were held in, the training grounds, and numerous shops and restaurants. It made her head spin just thinking about it.<br>"Well, we're here!" Naruto said, stopping in front of a quaint looking building in the middle of the village.  
>Mitsuko walked in, and noted that there were four people already seated. The first person was a lady, probably their sensei or something. She had long, curly black hair and a red and white outfit. The kid next to her had on a jacket with the hood up, so she couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. They had a small dog at their feet, eating a bowl of ramen. The next person had on a long jacket with a high collar, and brown hair. Mitsuko guesed that this person was a boy. Finally, there was a small girl with blue hair cut in a hime-style haircut. She wore a long tan jacket with a flame emblem on the back.<br>Naruto walked up to the girl on the end and sat down next to her.  
>"Hey guys!" he said, while he motioned for Mitsuko to sit next to him.<br>Once she sat down, she was able to get a good look at the other people. The lady had red eyes and bandages wrapped around her hands. The kid next to her was definitely a boy, and he had red fang markings on his cheeks. Mitsuko knew at once that he hailed from the Inuzuka clan. They were a well-known and well-respected clan back in Iwagakure for their brute strength and determination.  
>The boy sitting next to him wore glasses that concealed his eyes. If she had to guess, she would wager that he was from the Aburame clan, another well-known and well-respected clan. Isamu had fought alongside an Aburame once, and he had said that they were amazing warriors.<br>The only thing that stood out about the girl they say with was her white, pupil-less eyes. Mitsuko knew which clan had these eyes, but she couldn't think of the name of it.  
>"Hello, Naruto." the woman replied.<br>"Hey, Naruto." the Inuzuka boy said.  
>"Hello." the boy next to him said.<br>"H-hi, Naruto-kun." the girl stammered.  
>"I've seen you around." the Inuzuka said, looking at Mitsuko, "You're that kid that came here from Iwa, right? The Tsuchikage's daughter, or something?"<br>"Granddaughter, actually." Mitsuko corrected, "But, yeah, that'd be me. I've seen you around before as well. You're an Inuzuka, right?"  
>"Yeah. Name's Kiba. And this is my nin-dog, Akamaru."<br>"My name is Aburame Shino."  
>"I-I am Hyuga Hinata."<br>"I'm Kurenai Yuhi." the woman said, "I'm their sensei."  
>They all fell silent for a while, and Naruto placed the orders for both of their ramen. Apparently, he was good friends with the owner, because he got the ramen for free. Once they were given their ramen, the five genin began talking. The whole time, Mitsuko couldn't help but notice that Kiba seemed to take quite a bit of interest in whatever she said. She assumed it was just a guy thing, but a little voice in the back of her head kept saying otherwise.<p>

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><p>I know, I know, it's kinda short. Sorry! The next chapter will be longer, I promise! R&amp;R!<p> 


	4. Author's Note :

**hey guys! what's up? Hope y'all have a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/etc.(please excuse my Southerness) I apologize for the slow updates, but the first sememster is winding down and you know what that means...*ominous intro* MIDTERM EXAMS! :'( Not to mention, I have a HUGE essay for English class that's due WEDNESDAY! Luckily, I'm almost done with that. But anyways, I'll probably drop off the face of the earth until next Wednesday, which happens to be the first day of MY Christmas break. It WOULD have been next Tuesday, but unfortunatly, I had an Algebra I exam AND a U.S. History exam ON THE SAME DAY. You may not know this, but I actually SUCK at algebra! But my algebra teacher is being mean, and won't let me rescedule my algebra exam. So I had to reschedule my U.S. History exam, and the only day she had open was Tuesday. The rest is history. haha, I made an unintentional pun!  
>Sorry! I tend to ramble when I feel guilty! Anyways, I <em>should<em> have an update some time between next Wednesday and next Friday. See ya then! :D**


	5. Ch 3: Meeting the Other Rookies, Part 2

Alex: hey guys, I'm back! Sorry i've been gone for so long but...school...new puppy...family drama...the usual. most of my time has actually been spent researching Auschwitz for my literature presentation. Sorry. Anyways...Shino, will you say the legal disclaimer so I don't get sued?  
>Shino: Alex does not, nor is she claiming, to own Naruto or its characters. All of them belong to Masashi Kishimoto, with the exception of Mitsuko and some of her family members. They actually belong to her.<br>Alex: Now that that's taken care of, let's get this show on the road! :D

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><p>Chapter Three: Meeting the Other Genin, Part Two<p>

"YOU'RE LATE!" the four genin cried as their sensei finally arrived at the training field, two hours late.  
>"Sorry," he said, "But there was an old lady carrying a heavy bag, and she needed help-"<br>"You're such a liar, sensei!" Mitsuko cried.  
>"What's our assignment for today, sensei?" Sakura asked.<br>"Well, it's not so much an assignment as it is a test of your abilities."  
>"So it's like, sparring?" Mitsuko asked.<br>"Bingo." Kakashi said, "Except, you'll be sparring with the other rookie genin as well."  
>As if on cue, Kurenai and her students walked up the hill to join them.<br>"Great." Kakashi said, "Now Asuma just needs to get his team motivated enough to show up."  
>Surprisingly, just as Kakashi finished his sentence, Asuma and his team walked up the hill.<br>"Hey everyone," Asuma said, "sorry for keeping you waiting."  
>He looked at Mitsuko expectantly.<br>"What? Oh." She said, "I'm Mitsuko Senshi. It's a pleasure to meet you."  
>"Likewise." He replied, "I'm Sarutobi Asuma, and these are my students: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji."<br>"A second generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio?" she asked.  
>"Yes, exactly." Asuma said, "You seem to know a lot about them."<br>"They're one of the most revered foreign teams in Iwagakure." She said, nodding, "I had to write a four page paper on their effectiveness as a team for my fourth year in the Academy."  
>"They made a nine year old write a four page essay about my dad?" Shikamaru asked.<br>"Yeah." She said, "No offense, but it was the most boring 100% I ever earned."  
>"None taken." Choji said.<br>"C'mon, guys." Ino said, "We need to get started."

"Okay, this is how it will work." Kakashi said, "For the first round, Hinata will fight Sakura, Ino will fight Mitsuko, Naruto will fight-"  
>"Wait a minute!" Mitsuko said, "Why do girls have to fight girls? Are you implying that we're too weak to hold our own against a <em>boy<em>?"  
>"No, that's not...I mean, that doesn't really imply...Fine!" Kakashi yelled, irritated, "Hinata will fight Choji, Sakura will fight Naruto, Ino will fight Shino, Mitsuko will fight Sasuke, and Kiba will fight Shikamaru! Are you happy now?"<br>"Sure, that works too." Mitsuko said.

"Hinata and Choji, you're up!"  
>"O-okay." Hinata stammered, stepping forward nervously.<br>"You've got this, Hinata!" Naruto and Mitsuko cheered.  
>"Kick his ass!" Kiba cried.<br>Hinata nodded fiercely, determination showing like fire in her eyes. As soon as the match began, it became impossible to focus on Hinata's hands as she fought. Within two minutes, the match was called off, with Hinata being named the winner.  
>"Psst, Naruto!" Mitsuko whispered.<br>"What?"  
>"Go congratulate Hinata, you idiot!" she replied, "Your opinion means a lot to her."<br>"Oh." Naruto said, though he didn't fully understand what she meant.  
>"Hinata-chan, that was <em>awesome<em>!" Naruto cried, running up to her.  
>"Y-you really...th-think so, N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, her face turning bright red.<br>"Yeah!" he said, "It only took you, like, a minute to beat him!"  
>Hinata looked like she was ready to faint. Mitsuko laughed quietly to herself at how oblivious Naruto was to that fact.<br>The next two matches weren't anywhere near as exciting. Naruto actually beat Sakura, and Shino beat Ino. **(A/N: Hahaha, 'Shino beat Ino.' I feel like Dr. Seuss or something! :D)** Finally, it was time for Mitsuko's match.  
>"Ha!" Ino sneered, "You don't have a chance, Mizuki."<br>"My name is _Mitsuko_, you ignorant swine!" Mitsuko snapped.  
>"Whatever." Ino said, "Whatever your name is, Sasuke-kun will smash you to pieces. Who names their daughter 'Mitsuko', anyway?"<br>"For your information, my mother gave me this name with her _dying breath_, because she believed that I would be a shining light at the end of a tunnel of chaos for the world." Mitsuko retorted.  
>"Oh." Ino said, as Mitsuko walked away to fight, "I didn't know."<br>"That must happen a lot." Mitsuko said snidely.  
>The fight began, and Sasuke launched a barrage of fire balls.<br>"You Uchiha are so predictable." Mitsuko taunted, "I suppose next you'll try a shadow shuriken, or maybe a Lions Barrage?"  
>"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled.<br>He lunged for her, but she effortlessly jumped off his back, and whipped out a summoning scroll. She quickly unraveled the scroll, and bit down on her thumb. She smeared the blood across the scroll in a line, and a puff of smoke engulfed her.  
>When the smoke cleared, she stood just ten feet from Sasuke, smirking. She held a katana with a blade as long as her arm in her hands, and waited. Sasuke charged at her again, and she still waited. Finally, when he was just an arm's length away, she attacked.<br>"1000 Blade Torture!"  
>She sliced open a two-inch gash with the tip of the katana, and Sasuke hit the ground, screaming in pain.<br>"Omigod!" Sakura and Ino cried.  
>"Did you poison the blade or something?" Kiba asked.<br>"Nope." Mitsuko replied, grinning, "He's just trapped in a genjutsu. It'll wear off on its own."  
>Sure enough, within minutes Sasuke had stopped screaming and gotten up. He'd begrudgingly let Mitsuko dress his wound, and was currently sulking somewhere. The sparring continued, with Mitsuko losing to Hinata. She had forfeited about five minutes into the match, claiming to be too low on chakra to continue.<br>A few minutes later, the jonin were whispering to each other, and looking at Mitsuko every now and again. It made her uncomfortable to have them watching her.  
><em>Do they know I lied?<em> She began to wonder. _Do they know that I was losing control, and that's why I forfeited? No, that's impossible! They'd have to know about-  
><em>"Mitsuko."  
>Her thoughts were interrupted by Kakashi calling her over to talk with them.<br>"Nani?" she asked.  
>"You weren't low on chakra, were you?" Kakashi asked.<br>"I...uh...Of course I was! Why would I say I was if I wasn't?"  
>"That's what we're trying to find out." Kurenai said.<br>"We've all read your file, Mitsuko." Asuma said, "It specifically said you had an extraordinary amount of chakra. According to your file, you have a seemingly endless supply of chakra. You usually only attacked once during each match and you only used one move each time. It's highly unlikely that you drained most of your chakra doing that."  
>"What's your point?"<br>"Why would you forfeit then?" Kurenai asked, "Did you feel bad for Hinata, and forfeit so she could win?"  
>"What? No!" Mitsuko cried, "I mean, yeah, I felt bad for her. I think she needs to be more confident in her abilities. But forfeiting so she could win is no way to do that. The enemy isn't going to forfeit to let her win, and in that match I was basically her enemy. That's not why I quit."<br>"Why then?" Kakashi asked.  
>Mitsuko grew worried. If she told them, then she'd have to break her oath of secrecy, and tell them everything. She stood there for a while, contemplating whether or not to tell them. Or she could lie again, and pray they bought it.<br>By the time she'd made her decision, the jonin had told the others to go home, and they were long gone. Finally, though, Mitsuko spoke.  
>"Okay." She said, "The reason I quit is-"<p>

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><p>Alex: Ooh, a cliffhanger! I know, it's a crappy way to end a chapter that took me so long to write, but that's exactly why it's a cliffhanger. it just took longer than I expected, and I'm really pressed for time right now. Oh well, hopefully you guys like it!<br>Kiba: Read & Review, folks!  
>Alex: :O KIBA! :D *fangirl scream* I love you! *chases after Kiba*<br>(yeah, I'm a Kiba fangirl. sue me!)


	6. IMPORTANT NOTE!

**Okay, I hate to say this, but I have OFFICIALLY hit a wall with this story. I've been mulling over it for months, trying to decide where to go from here. But I just can't figure out where to go. So, it is with a heavy heart that I must discontinue this wonderful, wonderful story. It's been fun, this is where I must bid farewell to Mitsuko and her family.  
>HOWEVER, I'm not COMPLETELY scrapping this idea. I'm thinking of rewriting it, because Mitsuko seems a little too Mary-Sueish for my tastes. I didn't mean to make her that way, she just sort of gained a life of her own, I guess. Anyways, I'm thinking of rewriting this and changing A LOT about it. I'm still keeping all the names, but most of the details will be different. But right now, I need a good title for it. So here's how this will work:<br>YOU, the reviewer(s), will send in suggestions for a new title. I will pick FIVE (5) that I think are the best.  
>Then, I will post a poll on my profile, where you will vote for ONE (1).<br>Whoever wins will get a shoutout in the new fic, and possibly even have their OC appear in the story, if they so choose.  
>If you're a member of FFNet, I'll message you if your title wins. If not, check back periodically. I will post the winning title on this story.<br>Thanks for sticking with me for so long!  
>~Alex<br>OR Y'all could just leave me hanging. -_-" Eh, whatever. I already named the story. The new one is called Candle in the Night. It should be up within the next few days or so.**


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